A "CADGING" SYSTEM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1110, 25 April 1911, Page 8

A "CADGING" SYSTEM.

EDUCATION BOARD APPOINTMENTS DOMINION PROMOTION SCHEME. AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION. "That this meeting of householders considers that in tho host interests of education a Dominion scheme for the promotion of teachers is urgently required, and that this resolution be forwarded to the Minister of Education, Wellington." The. foregoing resolution, forwarded by the New Zealand Educational Institute, was considered at every meeting of householders of State school districts held last evening.

At the Clyde Quay School it was moved formally by Mr. T. Forsyth, who called upon Mr. W. G. Grundv (headmaster) to explain the meaning of the resolution. That gentleman said that, the subject matter of the resolution was a burning question in New Zealand, so far as the primary schools were concerned. At present it took a central department, thirteen education boards, and innumerable school committees to control matters affecting primary education. The matter of appointing teachers fell to the boards, and school committees, and his hearers knew, or did not know, that on various occasions when an appointment was going strings were pulled with members of the board and committees in order that they may gain that position. . Others who may be just as competent, or more so, but are too proud or diffident to forward their claims, seldom get a chanco of being placed on the list (tho list of three submitted finally to the school committee). Tho institute had been considering this matter for a number of years, and tho outcome was this proposal_ to establish a scheme embodying a national system of promotion. Tho Small District Man. Take one instance—the Grey district —which had altogether about as many scholars as attended one large school in the city, and many school? with only 20, 30, and 40 scholars. There was, perhaps, only ono good appointment 'in the district, which fact placed the teachers of that district at a great disadvantage. There ,may bo an educational Arnold, a man of fino attainments and force of character, but ie was not known outside his district, and would have to surrender his position and accept a subordinate one to get into a larger district. Tho idea was that tho teachers should be classified, and that under a system of coordination between .the hoards, each teacher would bo given so many marks for service, personality (thero .was a good deal in that), educational attainments, and so on by the inspectors, and every year the inspectors would meet with a special Promotion Board, who would review tho whole of the teachers and place them on a roll, which would be used for the purposes of promotion in which merit would have a fair chanco of asserting itself. That would result, too, in the present system of cadging for appointments being done .away with, the best work would show who were, tho .best ,men,. and they would eventually .obtain the promotion they deserved. A Rostsr of Teachers. On what lines the systeni would ho carried out. lie was not prepared to say, but one proposal was that.tho thirteen boards of education should be merged into four boards—two for the North and two for tho South Island, which would give rach board a widely-extended sphere of influence. The scheme was not quite in the air, as in Auckland they had a roster of teachers drawn up on. certain lines which, was giving fair satisfaction—satisfaction,, anyhow, to thoso who appeared on the promotion list. (Laughter.) He was not speaking with any personal feeling, as ho never wished to get higher than the headmastership of the Clyde Quay School, but one could not do better than to try and perfect tho educational system. A youth of 17 or 18 years of age took up teaching as a profession, and probably tho next year—when ho was only 19 —was. perhaps placed in charge of a class of 40 or 50 children, for whoso education he was responsible for a whole year. It was a good load for any lad or girl to shoulder, ho could tell them,' and something should be done to encourago the very best to enter the service. .The time would come, too, when that would bo recognised, and the proper inducements made to induce the best to tako up the teaching profession. The Dominion had been liberal of late —the salaries had been largely increased, and the superannuation scheme made the future brighter. If it could also establish a scheme for tho promotion of teachers on merit it would be a great step forward. . (Applause.) The Chairman: "Tho only fault in the scheme—it is tho same as in everything else—is that the Government is going to be boss. It will be the Government which will pull tho strings, and ability won't count for anything. Give mo ability all the time! The four boards will in time bo one.,- The Government is gathering in power all the time, and is reaching out for more!" The Hon. J. E. Jenkinson said ho did not think there was anything in his friend's fear about the Govern ment. Ho thought the scheme was a step in tho right direction, and if it were taken merit itself must count. Ho thought with Mr. Robertson that the thirteen boards with sufficient coordination could do just as good work as four. If they had a classified list and stuck to it they must get tho best. They all knew that at present a lot of lobbying was done, and the men with most cheek often got tho job. Even classification lists were not always successful, and ho knew personally of some instances whore for various reasons the top name was passed over for one fourth or fifth down on the list. They could not do better than strive to get the very best as teachers. (Applause.) Tho motion was then put and carried. Discussion at South Wellington. The same resolution brought forth a short discussion at the South Wellington School meeting. In the course of some explanatory remarks on the present system, Jlr. G. Flux, the headmaster, said that teachers were degraded by the log-rollina: and wire-pull-ing which went on. They had practically to go cap in hand to committees and others for professional advancement, when they should be able to rise by their own individual merit.